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Lebron James: Teams
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LeBron James appeared in SLAM Magazine, which began his nationwide exposure. However, the St. Vincent-St. Mary basketball team did not defend its state title when increased enrollment forced the team to move up to the more challenging Division II (Ohio high school basketball has four divisions based on annual enrollment figures) and lost to Cincinnati Roger Bacon High School. James attempted to declare for the NBA Draft after the season ended, petitioning for an adjustment to the NBA's draft eligibility rules which at the time required prospective players to have at least completed high school. The petition was unsuccessful, but it ensured him an unprecedented level of nation-wide attention as he entered his senior year. By then, James had already appeared on the covers of Sports Illustrated and ESPN The Magazine.
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Against this backdrop, LeBron began his junior basketball season. In as coach for SVSM was Dru Joyce, the father of LeBron’s best friend and the team’s point guard. The Fighting Irish faced one of the toughest schedules in the country. Indeed, nearly half of the school’s opponents were ranked nationally. LeBron and his teammates opened against Germantown (Pa.) Academy, which featured a pair of stars, Lee Melchionni and Matt Walsh. Thanks to LeBron’s 38 points and 17 rebounds, SVSM won 70-64.
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It was time for Lebron James to show off his skills on court. He went to the USA Basketball Development Festival. He was the first underclassman ever invited to the camp. Lebron James’s performance justified the invitation; he broke the festival scoring record. News of his talent began to spread far and wide. While he was a sophomore in high school he led the team to two consecutive championships.
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Forbes, 16-Feb-2004, DETAILS: The NBA's $2 Billion Man -- LeBron James will make more than $200 million by the time he is 25. He may be underpaid. Plus, Valuations for all 29 pro basketball teams (p.64, title of article inside is "Slam Dunk"), BYLINE: Kurt Badenhausen
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For LeBron, another advantage of living with the Walkers was his friendship with Frankie Jr. The two ran with four other boys—Sian Cotton, Dru Joyce III, Willie McGee and Romeo Travis. Together they formed a terrific team on the basketball court. On Sunday nights they gathered at the Akron Jewish Community Center, where Keith Drambot, the former head coach at Central Michigan University, put them through their paces.
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What you've written is slightly condescending and very unfair -- it paints LeBron James as some kind of criminal, or at the very least someone who has executed some form of poor judgment. The line between professional and amateur athlete is blurred considerably, and varies from sport to sport. A high school baseball prospect has the rights to negotiate with his team for almost a year, at which point he is returned to the draft and can continue playing at an amateur level. A college basketball player can declare eligibility for the NBA Draft, but if he signs an agent, he loses his amateur status in the eyes of the NCAA. Pro football has a ban on drafting college sophomores, regardless of talent, and the NCAA will suspend you fewer games for accepting free jerseys at a store than they will for playing in an over-40 men's league. Does it really matter what his "amateur status" is?
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